Suwamyojin
"The wars of men can only be stopped by men themselves..." - Suwamyojin Suwamyojin, also referred to as Takeminakatanomikoto, is the god of war who tasks Aoi and Inugami with ridding the mortal realm of demons. __TOC__ Description Suwamyojin appears as a spectral purple-white orb of light emanating from his shrine. He is able to bestow supernatural longevity to humans and is also able to summon his servant Inugami to fight on his behalf in the human realm. It appears his ability to seal away the demons is impeded by unrest caused by mankind. Personality Suwamyojin appears to place great faith in Aoi, tasking her as the only human who will rid the earthly realm of demons. This is perhaps because of Aoi's dedication as a priestess, though it could be interpreted that he feels Aoi has an obligation to serve him as it is her "duty" as a disciple. Suwamyojin also regards Inagami as a loyal servant. Plot After being attacked by demons, a priestess of Suwamyojin, Aoi Yasaka, calls upon him for aid. Suwamyojin summons forth his loyal servant Inugami, who swiftly dispatches the Demons. Speaking directly, Suwamojin tells of how long ago he had imprisoned the demons, but that the conflicts of man have loosened his grip on them. He explains that his power cannot prevail while such turmoil exists in the mortal realm. He then tasks both Aoi (with the aid of Inugami) to cleanse the demons from the realm of man, and protect those who would bring an end to chaos. In order to do so, Suwamojin grants Aoi immunity from a mortal lifespan until the task is completed. After many years have passed, and the mortal realm has been cleansed of the demons by Aoi and Inugami, Suwamyojin reappears to Aoi at his shrine. When asked whether the wars of men will continue to bring forth the demons, he replies that he is unable to see the future, and that the wars of men can only be stopped by men themselves. Suwamyojin then returns Aoi to a mortal existence, disappearing along with Inugami. Trivia In the English subtitles of the game, his names are spelled Takeminakatanomikoto or Suwamyojin. This appears to be an attempt to westernise the Japanese titles of "Takeminakata-no-mikoto" ("Lord Brave Honourable Name") and "Suwa Myojin" ("Shining God of Suwa") into a character name. Takeminakata (Suwamyojin) is the son of Ōkuninushi, the earthly deity of Izumo province. When the heavenly deities sent Takemikazuchi to conquer Izumo, Takeminakata insisted on a test of strength with the newcomer. When he tried to seize Takemikazuchi's hand, the latter turned his hand into a sword, but when Takemikazuchi grasped Takeminakata's hand in return, he was able to crush it like a reed. This contest is regarded as the first example of sumo. Takeminakata fled to Suwa, where he surrendered to the heavenly deities. Some oral traditions relate that Takeminakata fought and defeated the mountain god Moreya-no-kami in order to enter Suwa, using a wisteria vine as a weapon. Takeminakata subsequently became the principal deity of the Suwa shrine. Suwamyojin's shrine is a real world Shinto shrine located in the Nagano prefecture of Japan. Category:Characters